Marylanders split on death penalty, support gun control

As delegates debate a bill abolishing the death penalty already passed in the Senate, a new Goucher College poll finds a slight majority of Marylanders (51 percent) oppose ending executions — even though many overestimate how often it is used.

A majority of respondents said the death penalty does not deter murder and would prefer life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

On the other hot issue still awaiting action by the House Judiciary Committee, an overwhelming majority of Marylanders — more than four out of five — support the major provisions of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s gun control proposal, despite the fierce opposition of a gun-owning minority that has flooded Annapolis hearing rooms.